Mail-delivery apparatus.



I UNITED sTATEs PATENT onirica.

WILLIAM A. ATWELL, OF CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGN'OR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM L. ROBBINS, OF CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA.

MAILDELIVERY APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. ATWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Concord, in the county of Cabarrus and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Mail-DeliveryApparatus, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus fordelivering mail from railway cars While in` motion and has reference more particularly to devices of that type designed to discharge sacks of mail on to the ground.

The object of the invention is to provide i apparatus of this character which can be conveniently applied to the ordinary7 forms of mail cars andwhich normally assumes a position where it will not block the doorway of the car or strike cars or other objects adjacent the track on which the mail-car is moving.

A, further object is to provide delivering apparatus which can be conveniently set so as to position the lsack-holding portion thereof in the door-way where the sacks ot mail can be conveniently placed upon it.

Another object is to provide locking means for holding the mechanism when set construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portionof a mail car and having the present improvements applied thereto, the holder being shown in its normal position at one side of the car door and against the wall of the car. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through a portion of the car and showing the mechanism in plan, the holder Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. October 8, 1908.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

Serial No. 456,778.

heilig shown locked in position in front of the car door and ready to be tripped for the purpose of delivering mail. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line A-B Fig. 2. Fig. et is an enlarged section on line C--D Fig. 2.

Referring to the iigures by characters of reference, E designates a mail-car and c the door-opening therein. Brackets l and 2 arev secured to the side of the car E and in horizontal alinement, the bracket 1 being ,disposed below but adjacent the front vor advancing side Vof the door-way e, while the bracket 2 is located at some distance beyond the opposite side of the doorway. The two brackets constitute bearings for necks or trunnions 3 extending from the end of a rail et angular in cross section and extending below the door c A spring 5 is coiled about one end portion of the rail 4 and is secured at one end to said rail while its other end is secured to the bracket 1.

A collar 6 is formed upon the rail 4L near bracket 2 and is provided in its upper 'portion with notches 7 and 8, the notch 7 being preferably longer than the notch 8 and both of said notches being so located that either one may be engaged. by a stud 9 formed upon a bell-crank lever 10 which is pivotally mounted on a bracket' 11 secured to the car E A spring 12 bears against the upper portion of the lever l() so as to hold the stud 9 normally pressed yieldingly .against the collar .6. The upper portion of the leverfl() projects through al guide bracket 13 which is secured to the car, 'and journaled within the outer portion of this bracket is an actuating rod 14 having a cani 15 secured thereto and designed, when the rod is partly rotated, to move against the upper portion of the lever 10 and shift it so as to raise the stud 9 out of engagement with the collar 6. Rod 111 is journaled in one or more brackets 16 provided for vit,'and extends along the outer face of the car E to the door opening c where it is provided with a treadle 17 extending into the car door at a point where it can be conveniently reached. by the i'oot of a mail clerk within the car.

Acarriage F'is sl'idably mounted on the raila, the same consisting of heads 18 provided with angular openings 19 through which the rail 4i extends. Each of these heads has an arm '2O extending therefrom, thetwo arms being vconnected by a longitudinal 'strip' 21. This strip 21 has parallel tines 22 pivotally connected to it and mounted to swing in the same plane, all of the tines being maintained parallel by means of a connecting strip 23, which is pivotally connected to all of them, as shown at 24. The tines preferably curve upwardly, as indicated particularly in Fig. 4 and downwardly diverging coiled springs 25 are connected to the middle portion of the strip 23 and to the arms 20, so as to hold said strip 23 normally in such position as to maintain the tines 22 perpendicular to the strip 21.

Openings 26 are formed in the strip 21 between the tines 22, and each of these openings has a curved neck 27 slidably mounted therein, said neck being formed at one end of an arm 28. A series of these arms is provided and all of said arms are connected at their outer ends by means of a strip 29. A stop shoulder 30 is formed upon the lower portion of each arm 28 and is designed to limit the downward swinging movement of the arm. The free ends of the necks 27 have nuts 31 or other stop devices thereon for limiting the upward swinging movement of said arm. It will be apparent, by referring to Fig. 4, that these arms 28 are capable of swinging simultaneously toward or from the tines 22, and, when at their outermost positions, as indicated in said figure, a trough-like receiver or holder is provided in which one or more sacks of mail may be conveniently placed and held. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4 the head 18 which is nearest the bracket 3 has its inner face beveled as at 32, this beveled portion being located below the rail 4 when the parts are in their normal positions.

A coiled spring 33 is mounted on the rail 4 between the carriage F and bracket 2, this spring being secured at its ends to the carriage and bracket respectively and operating to hold the carriage normally in position adjacent the bracket 2 and removed from the door opening` e. A rope or other flexible actuating device, such as indicated at 34, is secured to one of the heads 1S of the carriage and extends partly around a sheave iournaled in a bracket 36 and preferably directly in front of the spring 5. said rope being extended into the door opening e and provided with a ring or other suitable device such as indicated at 37 whereby it can be conveniently grasped for the purpose of actuating it. As shown in the drawings a suitable guide, such as an eye, 38. may be arranged within the door opening for this rope 34.

A catch 39 is pivotally mounted on the side of the car E and between the rail 4 and the wall of the car and close to the spring 5, said catch being provided with a spring 40 for holding the head 41 thereof normally in the path of the nearest head 1S of the carriage F This head 41 is beveled, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, so that when the head 18 strikes it, the head 41 will be deflected inwardly until after the head 1S passes thereover, whereupon the head ol'A the catch will spring back into ei'igageincnt with the head of the carriage as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

As heretofore stated the normal ljiositions of the parts have been indicated in lf`ig. l.

llllhen the tines 22 and the strip 2E) are contaeting with or disposed very close to tln` wall of the car t the stud Sl of bellcrank lever 10 rests within the notch T. vWhen it is desired to deliver mail from the car while in motion the clerk within the car pulls on the rope 34 so as to slide the carriage F longitudinally along rail 4 until the advancing head 1S of the carriage is brought into engagement with the catch 3S). This catch will automatically engage the head 18 and thus lock the carriage in position in front of the door opening. lt is of course to be understood that this morcment of the carriage willv canse the spring 33 to be placed under stress. After thc parts have thus been shifted the clerk pushes downward on the treadle 17 so as to partlr rotate the rod 14 and cam 15, and canso the bell-crank lever 10 to swing and elevate the stud 9 out of recess 7. '.lhe operator can then push the tines 22 outwardly from the door opening until the collar t3 has been positioned so as to permit the stud .l to move downward into the notch 8. 'lhc parts are thus locked with the tines 22 cxtending outwardly beyond the rail 4 as shown in Fig. 4. The sack or sacks of inail to be delivered are then placed upon the tines 22 and the arms 28. When it is desired to deliver the sacks the operator again depress-es the treadle 1T, so as to lift tln` stud i) out of engagement with the collar (3. lhe weight of the sack or sacks upon thev tines 22 will thus be suiiicient to cause said tines and the entire carriage F to swing downward, partly rotating the rail 4 therewith. This operation will place the spring S under stress and as soon as the carriage has swung downward a predetermined distaace the contents thereof will slide therc- 1 from and on to the ground. lli/'hen the carriage reaches a predetermined point during its downward swinging movement the bcveled face 32 thereof is brought into position back of the head 41 and catch 39 and thc spring 33 promptly pulls the carriage out of engagement with the catch and longitudinally along the rail 4. During this operation the spring 5 which has been placed under stress during the downward movement of the carriage under the weight of the sack or sacks, returns the carriage and the rail to their normal positions, so that all of the parts are thus brought to their initial location against the side of the car, as shown llO in Fig. l. I hen the rail t moves baclt to its normal position the-collar 6 also travels therewith and the notch 7 is therefore brought into position belowy the stud 9. The foregoing operation of course takes place while the treadle 17 is held depressed by the operator. As soon as the operation has been eected the operator releases 'the treadle kand the stud 9 therefore swings downward into notch 7 and the parts are thus locked in normal position. The foregoing operation can be repeated whenever it is desired to deliver mail from the car. It will be understood that when the carriage is in its raised or normal position the arms 28 fold against the tinesQZ, so that the entire device will occupy the minimum space and will not project an undesirable distance beyond the side of the car. Should there be any unyielding obstruction in the path of the carriage when the tines 22 are in lowered position during delivery of mail, these tines, should they strike the obstruction, will yield laterally without causing injury either to themselves or to the obstruction, this yielding action being permitted in view of the fact that the tines are pivotally' connected to strips 2l and 23. Thev springs 25 will operate to promptly return t-he tines to their initial position after the obstruction 'has been passed.

It is of course to be understood that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In mail delivery apparatus a rail mounted for partial rotation, a bag-engaging device thereon and movable therewith, locking means for holding said device and rail against movement under the weight of a bag upon said device, and yielding means for holding said rail and device normally in position to be engaged by'said locking means. Y

2. In mail delivery apparatus a rail mounted for partial rotation, yielding means for holding the rail normally in a predetermined position, a bag-holding device upon and movable with the rail, said device and rail being movable under the weight of a bag upon the holding device against the stress of said yielding means, and means for locking the rail and holding the bag against movement.

In mail delivery apparatus a rail mounted for partial rotation, a spring for holding the rail yieldingly in a predetermined position, a bag-holding device upon and movable with the rail, said device and rail being movable under the weight of a bag against the action of the spring. and

means for locking the rail and holding de-V vice against movement.

4f. `In mail delivery apparatus a rail mounted for partial rotation, a spring-controlled carriage movable with and slidably mounted on the rail, means for locking the rail and carriage against partial rota-tion, and resilient means for returning the rail and carriage to normal position subsequent to the discharge of a bag therefrom.

5. In mail delivery apparatus a rail mounted for partial rotation, a springactuatedcarriage slidably mounted thereon and movable therewith, said carriage constituting bag-holding means, means for locking the carriage against the action of the spring, means for locking the .carriage and rail against partial rotation, and means operated by the movement of the rail and carriage in one direction for releasing the carriage.

6. In mail delivery apparatus a rail mounted for partial rotation, a spring-controlled carriage slidably mounted thereon and movable therewith, means for automatically locking the carriage against the action of its spring, means for locking the carriage and rail against partial rotation under the weight of a bag upon the carriage, and means for automatically releasing the carriage upon the completion of the movement of the yrail and carriage in one direction.

7. In mail delivery apparatus a rail mounted for partial rotation, a springactuated carriage slidably mounted on the rail, said carriage and rail being mounted to Jartl f rotate in unison means for lookin the carriage against the action of its spring, means for locking the rail and carriage against partial rotation under the weight of a bag upon the carriage, and separate means for automatically releasing the carriage and returning the rail to its initial position upon the completion of movement of the carriage under the weight of a bag thereon.

8. Inmail delivery apparatus a rail mounted for partial rotation, a spring for holding the rail normally in a predetermined position, a spring-coiitrolled carriage slidably mounted on the rail and movable withsaid rail, means for shifting the carriage against the action of its spring, means for automatically locking the carriage in shifted position, means for locking the rail against rotation, and means for automatically releasing the carriage when the rail has been partly rotated to a predetermined position.

9. In mail delivery apparatus a carriage mounted for swinging and sliding movement, elastic means for holding the carriage normally in a predetermined position, separate means for vlocking the carriage against sliding and swinging movement respectively, and means for automatically releasing the carriage to permit sliding movement thereof upon completion of its swinging movement in one direction.

l0. In mail delivery apparatus a Carriage including pivotally mounted tines, means for maintaining the tines parallel and in predetermined positions.

ll. In mail delivery apparatus a carriage comprising connected heads, pivoted tines carried thereby, means for holding the tines parallel, and elastic means for holding the tines normallyT in a predetermined relation to the heads, said tines being shiftable in opmeans t'or holding the tines normally in a predetermined relation to said strip, and

connected arms inovably Connected to said strip and toldable on to the said tines.

123. ln mail delivery apparatus a carriage Comprising heads, a Connecting strip, tines lpivotally mounted upon said strip, elastic elast-ie means for holding said tines normally ,f

means for holding the tines normally in a predetermined relation to said strip, and connected arms movably connected to said strip and toldable on to the said tines, and means t'or .limiting the movement ot the arms in a direction away from the tines, said arms and tines constituting a bag-receiving i trough. posite directions against the action ot said In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, l have hereto allixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

lVILL'IAM A. A'l`\VlGLI'.. vW itnesses T. Y. Yivriiii, T. L. (irAN-'mx 

